CDW keeps EcoVadis carbon leader status with gold rating

Reseller giant secures coveted gold badge from the world’s largest sustainability ranking and rating organisation, and urges more industry collaboration

Securing a gold EcoVadis accreditation is no mean feat, but CDW UK’s sustainability team is not resting on its laurels, with a platinum badge firmly in its sights for the future.

The VAR giant has further boosted its sustainability standing by retaining its carbon leader status from EcoVadis, making it the only UK VAR to hold the title in 2026. The badge places it in the top five per cent of companies globally ranked by EcoVadis.

Trusted by more than 100,000 organisations in over 175 countries and spanning more than 200 industries, the EcoVadis accreditation process covers four key themes: environment, labour and human rights, ethics and sustainable procurement.

The evidence-based rating methodology aligns with international standards including the Global Reporting Initiative, the UN Global Compact and ISO 26000.

Overall, CDW achieved a seven per cent year-on-year increase in its score and placed in the top one per cent globally for the environment theme with a 92 out of 100 score. Its performance across the ethics theme also saw a 13 per cent spike year-on-year.

Jon Steggles, sustainability and social value manager at CDW, tells CRN: “We have been completing EcoVadis accreditations since 2018, but it is really the last three years that we have really started to make progress.

“When I took on the role, one of my ambitions was a need to understand, improve and drive change– which is part of CDW’s overall ambition to be purpose-led and performance driven. In the last three years we have improved our overall [EcoVadis] score by 33 per cent, so it is a noticeable change.”

Steggles explains CDW had been working closely with EcoVadis at a partnership level and has even helped the organisation expand its thinking and scoring methodology, along with appropriate certifications to increase the rigour and efficacy of its score.

But he adds that while it is vital for the business to achieve these external accreditations, he is still passionate about driving radical collaboration across the channel to make industry-wide change.

“We can do huge amounts of things at CDW as the largest VAR in the world,” Steggles says. “But when you start to bring in others, and that voice amplifies, you can make changes of greater benefits by bringing people together. We only have one planet, and it is so important to deliver lasting impact.”